Amsel named chief information security officer

Posted March 17, 2014; 04:17 p.m.

by Karin Dienst, Office of Communications

Ellen Amsel, who has 14 years of experience in information security management, much of it in the higher education environment, has been named chief information security officer (CISO) at Princeton University, effective March 20.

In this newly created position, Amsel will report to Jay Dominick, vice president for information technology and chief information officer.

"We are pleased that Ellen Amsel has accepted Princeton's offer to become the University's first chief information security officer," Dominick said. "Princeton is fortunate to have someone with Ellen's experience and background leading the information security effort on our campus. The search committee and Office of Information Technology (OIT) leadership believe Ellen will combine strong technical knowledge with a collaborative approach as she interacts with members of the campus community."

Previously, Amsel was manager of information security and compliance at Guidewire Software in San Mateo, Calif. She worked for seven years at Stanford University School of Medicine, most recently as information security officer and director of information security services. For six years prior, she was manager of information security services at the University of California-San Francisco.

The CISO will be responsible for developing University policy and strategy regarding matters of information security. As a member of the OIT leadership team, the CISO will work with University leadership and with staff throughout Princeton.

The CISO will play a critical role in addressing the larger institutional issues of information security policy and practice, data governance, risk assessment, and business continuity as well as the compliance requirements that span the University. The CISO will recommend and monitor computing practices to prevent and recover from security breaches, and coordinate the handling of security incidents when such breaches occur.

"I am honored and delighted to have been selected as the CISO for Princeton University, an institution known for its commitment to excellence and innovation," Amsel said. "In a world of social networking and increasing cybersecurity threats, it is important to develop a University-wide approach to information security. I look forward to working collaboratively with Princeton's leadership, department-based technical and administrative staff, faculty, and students in the development and implementation of strategy, policy and programs that will address current and emerging risks and requirements in information security."

Amsel earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics from William Paterson University. She received a master's of business continuity from Norwich University, a master of science in computer information systems from the University of Phoenix and an information security certificate from Colorado Technical University.